The next morning, I get up early to go hunting. It's a lot easier to move around the district with our catches when it's still slightly dark out. The peacekeepers in our district don't really care that we hunt. In fact, many of them will buy from us since meat is scarce in our district, but we still want to keep things discreet in case there are any unexpected visitors. Sometimes Mom will come too, when she isn't helping Dad set up at the bakery, but she usually likes to come out on her breaks just to be surrounded by the woods. Most of the hunting for actual animals was left to me once I was good enough at it, the same way Papa entrusted that job to Mom when she was my age. And I actually enjoy having that responsibility. At least it gets me out of doing a couple chores around the house. Dad packed me breakfast to take and eat out in the woods and Mom hands me a canteen with herbal tea on my way out, wishing me luck.
I make sure the coast is clear before climbing through the small hole in the fence. I think at one point it might have been electrified but there's barely enough electricity to power the essentials. They're certainly not going to waste it on a fence that nobody really goes near anyway. I walk for around half an hour or so until I know I'm far enough away that nobody will be able to spot me and the noise from town won't scare away the animals. I pull out one of the bows from the tree Papa hollowed out to hide them in and my quiver of arrows, slinging it across my back.
I venture out a little farther, knocking my arrow and stopping, listening for any animals in the area. I look up across the trees and spot a flock of birds sitting on one of the branches. As quietly as possible, I reach down, picking up a small rock. I swing my arm back and hurl it into the leaves. The rustling sound startles the flock and they all fly up towards the sky. I carefully aim and release, watching as the arrow hits my intended target and the small bird falls to the ground. I quickly move to retrieve it, pulling my arrow out and hooking it onto my game bag. I'm about to scan the trees for more, and that's when I see it.
A buck, eating grass from the meadow about thirty feet away. I stay quiet, not daring to move my feet and only twisting my body to get a better look. I'm partially hidden by a tree so it hasn't spotted me yet. I draw my arrow, aiming right for the heart. I wonder if it'll take more than one arrow to take it down. It looks a lot bigger than a doe but not the biggest buck I've seen out here. Still, I'll need to be quick. I aim and release, shooting it just to the right of its heart. It's startled by the hit and stumbles around trying to run away. I knock another arrow and release, and this time, I don't miss. The buck falls to the ground and I wait to make sure I got the job done. Satisfied, I walk over, pulling out my arrows, placing them back in my quiver. Now that I'm closer to it, it's a lot bigger than I thought, and there was no way I was going to be able to get it all the way to Uncle Rye's myself. Maybe I could get Mom or Dad to help me carry it later but then where could I hide it to make sure no other animals got a hold of it?
There's a loud snap behind me and instinctively I knock an arrow and aim, ready to take down the threat.
"Woah! Um…don't shoot!" My arrow is pointing straight at a boy, who looks to be about my age. He looks familiar but I don't let up. I can tell he's from the seam, although his hair isn't quite as dark as all the other seam kids, including mine but his skin still has a lighter olive tone and he has the same gray eyes as Dani. I watch him stalking closer and my guard immediately goes up. I didn't know what he was doing here, but I don't like how he's invading my safe place.
"Please?" He offers, his hands still up in surrender. "I think we go to school together, right? I see you in the courtyard sometimes."
That's where I recognize him from! I still don't trust him, which is clear on my face, but seeing that he doesn't have a weapon, I lower my bow, placing my arrow back in my quiver. He eyes the buck I just shot, moving closer to inspect it.
"Nice," he comments, finally straightening up to meet my eyes. He's taller than me by several inches so I tilt my head up to look at him. He gives me a boyish grin, his hair flopping almost over his eyes, sticking his hand out. "Sawyer Hawthorne."
I look at his hand but make no move to take it, still not completely sure about this boy. "Willow," I grumble.
"Got a last name, Willow?" He raises a brow, although by the look in his eyes, he already knows.
"Mellark," I snap, moving back towards the buck.
"Like the bakery?" He gets a curt nod in response.
"So what's a merchant girl doing in the woods?" He asks. I don't like his tone.
"What's a seam boy doing in the woods," I bite back.
"I asked you first."
"I'm hunting," I wave to the buck. "Duh."
He chuckles under his breath, seemingly amused by what I said. "Why do you need to hunt? Don't you have, like, all the bread in the world to eat?"
I shake my head with a scowl. That was another common misconception that seam folk had about most of the merchants.
"We don't eat the bread, unless we buy it or buy the ingredients and Dad makes it at home. Otherwise we get the stale leftovers that have to be thrown out. That's why I hunt. So we have enough food and something to trade." I know I'm being snappy but I hate being caught off guard. "What are you doing out here," I glare at him, hoping it would be enough to scare him off but instead it just makes him smile wider.
"Well, Miss Mellark, I suppose I'm in the same boat as you. My dad used to come out here and hunt when he was younger but rarely has time anymore because he's working in the mines. That's enough to put some food on the table but since all my other siblings moved out, we'll starve unless I hunt too." His voice is more somber as he says the last part. A small part of me feels bad for him. I know a lot of seam families struggle to feed all of their kids.
I study him for a moment. "Any chance you'd be willing to help me carry this to the butcher? I'll give you three-quarters and the antlers." That should get him a hefty price at the hob.
His eyes widen in surprise and then there's a flash of anger in his eyes but it's gone just as quickly as it came. "That's too much. I don't want your pity," he frowns. I don't say anything because I understand how he feels. I wouldn't take the deal I just gave him if someone offered it to me. "I'll help you for half and one antler." I'm just about to agree when he adds another stipulation. "If you help me check my snares."
Now it's my turn to be surprised. That would make sense as to why he was in the woods hunting but didn't seem to carry a weapon.
Sawyer starts to walk away from the buck but I stay back, not wanting to leave it behind. "It'll be fine for a bit. It won't take long. We'll be right back."
I still don't know if I want to trust him, but he's getting farther away from me now, so reluctantly, I shrug my bow onto my shoulder and trail after him. After only a few minutes, we come across the first snare, tied to a small tree branch and rooted to the ground. In it is a rabbit that looks like it's been there for a few hours. I squat down to examine the snare. It looks really well made and I can't help being impressed.
"Can you teach me how to make this?" I ask, reaching out to get a closer look at the knot.
"You want me to teach you how to make a snare?"
I nod, still studying the trap.
"Sure," he undoes the knot to release his catch. "But I'll make you a deal. I'll teach you to make a snare and you have to teach me to shoot."
"What is it with you and deals?" I stand, facing him.
He shrugs. "I don't like to owe anyone anything. Don't need debts I can't repay."
"Me neither," I admit. Our eyes lock and a mutual understanding passes between us.
We check on the other snares he set around the forest while he shows me how to reset them. He even lets me do the last one, which is a little too loose at first but after a couple tries, it wasn't that bad.
When we get back to the buck, it's the perfect time for my first lesson. A squirrel is sniffing around my game. I grab an arrow from my quiver, keeping my voice low.
"Knock the arrow, stretch, aim, and release." I explain my actions as I do them, and hit the squirrel right in the eye. Just like mom. I smile, going over to retrieve the arrow but Sawyer beats me to it.
"Right in the eye," he mumbles, turning to face me. "Nice shot," he nods appreciatively.
"I have some extra bows you can use next time. Papa doesn't come out here much anymore." I hook the squirrel onto my game bag, next to the bird.
Sawyer looks ready to start hauling the buck out of here but I sit down against the tree, placing my bow and quiver on the grass next to me with my game bag.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" I dig through my bag to pull out all the food Dad packed me. I look up at Sawyer, whose eyes are glued to the food.
"I don't usually eat breakfast."
I frown. I know mom and Aunt Prim were lucky enough to always have something, some berries or an apple, and I didn't like how Sawyer seems to have it a lot worse. I pat the spot next to me on the grass and he hesitantly walks over, awkwardly plopping down due to his tall stature. I knew it would be a challenge to get him to take the food though.
"You're gonna need the strength if we're going to carry over that buck." I hold out one of the two cheese buns and he eyes it like a scared animal.
"Take it Hawthorne," I push my hand closer. "If you pass out on me I'm not carrying you back."
He snorts, swiping the bread from my hand and practically inhaling it before I've even gotten a few bites in. He must not get enough to eat at home, he was muscular but still skinnier than he should be for a boy his height. I rip the rest of my bun in half and place one half it in his hand before he even realizes I've done so. He turns his head about to argue with me but I've already continued eating the rest of my bun, watching the birds fly over the mountain. Neither of us say anything as we both finish our bread.
I brush my hand on my pants and stand, swinging my stuff over my shoulder. "Ready to go?"
Sawyer stands up, moving to the buck and picking up the top half. We maneuver ourselves back through the woods, only briefly stopping at the tree for me to place my bow and arrows back inside. We barely talk for the majority of the journey and that works for the both of us, getting used to each other's presence.